It happened a week ago, but it was yesterday when NASA revealed that they had been forced to turn off the Fermi telescope. Last March 16 was when it happened. It is an observatory launched into space in 2008, whose objective is to study the sources of gamma rays in the universe. But, due to a problem in a disk of one of the solar panels, have been forced to turn off Fermi.
It seems that this problem in a disk of one of the solar panels caused the probe will automatically enter safe mode. This has caused Fermi to shut down its instruments and not generate data. As revealed by NASA itself.
NASA itself is already conducting an investigation into this incident. Since the solar panel does not move when necessary. So they do not yet know for sure the origin of this anomaly in the telescope. So at the moment we do not want to close any possible hypothesis.
Meanwhile the team working on the mission considers the possibility of keeping the solar panel fixed while they analyze what is the origin of this problem in Fermi. An accident that has occurred a few months after the telescope's tenth anniversary is celebrated. A anniversary to be celebrated on June 11.
Julie McEnery, the lead scientist for the project at NASA, thinks the telescope could soon resume operation. Maybe even next week is already a reality. Although this is not going to prevent the investigation from taking its course. Since they want to know exactly the origin of this failure that prevents the telescope from generating data.
It is a large-scale project funded by NASA and the space agencies of Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Sweden.. So in case this failure could not be repaired, it would be the end of a project that has helped NASA a lot. Although they hope that Fermi will function normally again soon. We'll be alert.